


In Love with an Uchiha

by EmeryldLuk



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Archer - Freeform, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Ninjas - Freeform, Original Character(s), Other, Swordsman, assassinations, picking up strays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-29 04:16:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13919202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeryldLuk/pseuds/EmeryldLuk
Summary: An Alternate Universe story. Sasuke has a cousin, Uchiha Shitaka who is a year older and another survivor of the Uchiha massacre. Sarutobi Chojan is Konohamaru's older brother, the same age as Shitaka and her closest friend. This is the story of him and her and them falling in love, told as Chojan reminisces on his journey to find her after the Great Ninja War.





	1. Blood on His Hands

The house where she’d lived had been empty for three years now. Dust lay thick upon the floor and tables. The fabric of the couch faded from the sun and a spider web stretched across the arm. The fridge held barely anything now. What was in it had turned green and blue with mold long ago. A broken window had let the lilac tree outside put two branches inside. A family of mice hid under the floorboards, using a shattered board as the entrance. The bed sheets still lay in disarray, half on the floor from the day she’d left. The door, decorated by the painted symbol on its front, hung by one hinge, the knob torn from its bearings. Her bedroom showed little of herself. Some rusted weapons lay on the dresser next to the only two photographs. One showed her as a teenager, strangling a boy who looked a lot like her; the setting placed them in front of a waterfall and both had been surprised by the camera. The second posed her younger by three years. The school she’d attended in the background, a boy with blue hair hugged her and a girl with fiery red and orange hair. The woman behind them looked as if she had expected something much worse.

An older version of the boy from the picture picked it up now. Disturbed dust caused him to cough. He’d come to this place in hopes of some hint, but that hope seemed to be gone now. His oldest friend and the girl he’d always loved had vanished from his world. The search party only came back with torn fabric and her favored weapon washed up on the river bank. Three years had passed since then, three long years of trying and failing to move on. He’d come back here finally as a last resort, looking for some hint of what happened. Now looking at this old picture he found himself thinking back to their younger days.

 

Even though he’d first noticed the black haired girl at five years old, he could only get the nerve to watch her from a distance. She always came to the lake in the afternoon. No one ever came with her to skip stones and play games.

A year of silent watching.

Her dark eyes looked empty when he met her face to face in ninja school. She sat in the desk next to him.

“I’m Sarutobi Chojan,” he said, holding out a hand to her. She looked at him.

“Shitaka.” She looked down at her notebook, an incomplete drawing in it. He lowered his hand.

At first he thought she was just shy. Then he just didn’t understand her. She mingled with the other girls well enough. The teacher kept telling her to stop drawing in the middle of class. As he tried talking to her more, she spoke some, but not a lot. Eventually, she came out of her shell. He helped her with the classroom work. She helped him with practicing his kunai skill.

Even if she opened up to talking to him, the sad emptiness in her eyes remained, always piquing his interest. The year passed and then things changed ever so slightly.

She came to school with the youngest Uchiha.

“Chojan, I’d like you to meet Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke, this is my friend Sarutobi Chojan.”

Chojan looked from Sasuke to Shitaka.

Sasuke smiled, “Nice to meet you. Shitaka talks about you a lot.”

“She does?” he looked again at Shitaka with even more surprise. “She never talks about that stuff around me.” Shitaka shifted her feet.

“There’s not much to talk about at home,” she murmured.

Sasuke countered her. “She practices with nii-san after school.”

“I think you should get to class, Sasuke. Don’t want to be late for your first day.”  The younger boy stuck his tongue out at her before running off. She didn’t say anything to Chojan as they headed to their classroom.

He spoke up first. “I didn’t know you were an Uchiha. How come you didn’t mention it?”

“Because I’m not. I was taken in by Sasuke’s aunt and uncle after my mother died in childbirth. My father was never around. So I’m not an Uchiha like them. But even so, they consider me family.”

“That’s cool though, being able to live with them and train with them. My grandpa barely even spends time with me.”

“That’s better than being adopted I think. You are the genuine thing. Grandson of the third Hokage. And you have a brother.”

“He’s a pain more than a brother. I gotta be nice and all since he’s so young.” Chojan shrugged, stopping her following remark. “Well, I guess we’ve both got our complaints.”

Shitaka nodded and slid the door open. A bucket of water splashed down on her. those already in the classroom burst out laughing. Chojan started to make a snappy retort when Shitaka took the bucket off her head and chucked it at one of the boys. Teijin, a guy known for his practical jokes took the bucket straight on, causing yet more laughter.

Shitaka squeezed water out of her hair and shirt. She didn’t say anything on the way to her seat until Terra spoke up.

“Hey, how’d you know he set it up?”

“He laughed first.”

Her preference of not talking to the others too much, never really changed. Shitaka would spend class quietly taking notes and leave the class in the dust for our physical education. The only one right on her tail then was Rock Lee, a little kid with no talent for chakra manipulation. Not that he was any match for her.

That year was probably the best they had before things went bad. She never invited Chojan to train after school, but he didn’t feel bad about it. They worked together in school and that was enough for him. Until the next year.

He didn’t get to hear her story until the year after, but it really changed both her and Sasuke.

 

Shitaka stayed out later than Sasuke that night, training by herself with a bow that she’d gotten as a present the year before. The sport of archery wasn’t one most ninjas use, but since she had it, she’d decided to learn.

What made her return was a bad feeling in her gut. Her adoptive parents lived on the edge of the village. She came back through the forest. A shadow of movement caught her eye. A familiar shape that passed her on its way away from the village.

Itachi froze upon seeing her jogging through the trees. He squinted. Another difference between her and her adoptive clan: she had extremely good night vision.

“Itachi?” his face scrunch with an odd expression at her voice. He almost looked concerned somehow. “What are you doing out here? Going on a mission?”

His voice cracked. “Yea… I’ve got a mission tonight. You’re coming back from your training?”

Shitaka didn’t catch on to his nervousness. “Yea, figured it was getting late, so I’ll be heading home now.”

Itachi glanced back the way he came. “Shitaka, why don’t you go stay with your friend Chojan tonight?” he stepped over a tangled root towards her. “Your father got drunk and isn’t in a good mood.”

She puzzled over the suggestion. “But won’t Mother be worried if I don’t come home?”

“Yes, but you’ll be safe, you can explain in the morning, right?” He knelt down and tapped a finger on her forehead. “She’ll understand.”

Shitaka instantly noticed something odd. His finger was wet and sticky. She stepped back from him. His nice expression changed to wary.

“Shitaka? What is it?”

“Your hand… that’s not water is it?” he didn’t respond. “Something happened at home. You… you did something didn’t you?” He reached out a hand towards her. The light hit it then. "What happened?"

His face twisted into something conflicted. "Shitaka, I-"

"Why is there blood on your hands?"

His face hardened. His eyes changed and fear shot through her. Shitaka bolted. She didn’t pay attention to her direction, just wanted to get away.

“Shitaka!”

He must have decided not to chase her, because she never heard his voice again. She stopped later, out of breath and completely lost. She’d dropped her bow case somewhere along the way.

That was the time she met Hatake Kakashi, the next morning. She’d fallen asleep between the roots of a large tree. His summoned tracker, Pakkun woke her up by licking her face. Laughing at the silliness, her mood drooped when she saw Kakashi. She sucked in her breath and scooted back against the tree. He chuckled.

“I’m not going to hurt you. The Hokage asked me to find you and take you back to the village. I’m Hatake Kakashi.”

Shitaka let out her breath in a rushed question. “What happened to my family?”

He said, “I’m sorry.” She knew what that meant. He held out his hand. “Will you come with me?” she nodded and took his hand.

Chojan might as well been trying to cheer up a rock with the amount of reaction he got for awhile. Even after she opened up again, he knew she’d never get over it. Something about the way she acted just worried him.


	2. The First Day

Even four years later, some things never changed. Standing around with others from class, Chojan noticed Shitaka slipping out the gate.

“Hey, Chojan!” Hanashi Azami  came over to him. “Who do you think will be in your team?”

“I’m not sure, I’d love to chat, but I gotta go.” He pointed with his thumb to the gate. She grinned.

“Going after the Uchiha again? She’s a lost cause.”

“As if you’d know, Azami. Aren’t you the one always making her time miserable?” He turned and jogged to the gate. He passed up the space ahead quickly. She glanced at him. He asked, “Something on your mind today?”

“Other than tomorrow? Only the usual stuff. I’m gonna go train as usual.”

“It’d be cool if we get put on the same team.”

“Cool, maybe, but… I don’t like working on teams.”

“It’ll work out okay, even if we’re not together. And can I try out that bow of yours?”

“No way. I doubt you could even hit the target.”

“Oh, c’mon, Shitaka. I’m not that bad of an aimer.”

She shook her head, nearly laughing. “Archery is completely different from Kunai throwing. I’ve been practicing since I got my first one five years ago. Otherwise I wouldn’t be so good at it.”

“Hmph.” He pretended to look put out. They’d had this conversation before. A grin slipped onto his face. As he took off down the lane, he yelled, “Race to your place!”

Shitaka groaned. But even so, she obliged.

The next day, she woke up to a tapping noise on her window. She rolled over and threw her pillow at Chojan on the other side. It hit the glass and fell to the floor.

“Get up, sleepyhead!” he yelled. Chojan grinned as she got up and opened the window. “You’re not gonna skip out on today are you?”

“Maybe I should. Can’t be terribly interesting can it?” she glanced up at the sky. The sun had just hit the horizon. “You got up early just to make sure I’d come?”

“I’m not your friend for nothing. So hurry up and come outside.” She frowned and slammed the window shut. The curtain swung down, shutting him out completely. He made the quick trip to the front door to wait.

She came out only a few seconds later, in the middle of eating a cold muffin. The times when they came to school together, they played games to test themselves. Sometimes they’d go up on the roof for a race, or practice dodging by creating an obstacle course. More times they’d pick a random person to play a prank on, like today. Spotting an older woman walking through town, chojan tagged shitaka. She ducked to the side. He kept to the center as a decoy. As he started a chat with the target, he got the feeling he’d seen her before somewhere else. Then came Shitaka. Chojan suddenly dashed off to the other side of the street. The woman turned to see him. Shitaka vaulted off the overhang, snatching up the purse midair. She ran off, following the path Chojan set for her. Usually they ran out of sight and left the borrowed item somewhere nearby.

She caught up to Chojan and they dropped off the roof into the alley. A first: their target got there before them.

“You’re not setting a good example for your younger brother, Sarutobi-kun.”

“Ah…” he felt his cheeks heat up. “We haven’t been caught before.”

She smiled. “Just hand over the purse. I won’t get you in trouble.” Shitaka tossed it. “I’ll see you two later.” Chojan looked at Shitaka. She shrugged.

“Why the heck would we see her again?” Shitaka pondered out loud.

“Crap! She’s a jonin. I’ve seen her once when I was hanging around my grandfather.”

“Well that explains her being faster than us. Let’s just get to school.”

Chojan snickered at her back as they moved on. “You’re a sore loser aren’t you?”

“Shut it, honorary grandson.”

“Ouch. I guess I hit that nail on the head. Chill, girl.”

“If I recall, you’re the one who failed to notice our target was a Jonin.”

He groaned. “Shitaka, it’s not like I go around memorizing all the faces I see.”

“Maybe you should.”

“Maybe you should lighten up. You’ve never had anyone beat you in school.”

“Actually, Lee’s pretty good. We’re pretty much equals.”

“Do you two have some sort of competition running?”

“Sorta. So far its 4 wins, 6 losses and 7 ties. He works really hard though.”

“He’s just crazy, trying to become a ninja without chakra.”

She pushed on the school gate. “And I think he might be able to do it if he focuses on the basics.”

“What is he gonna do against someone like the Fourth Hokage? That guy was called the Yellow Flash, ya know.”

“I dunno. He’ll have to figure something out.”

They stopped talking inside and joined the others in the room. The teacher arrived five minutes later. Iruka. He knocked on the chalkboard for attention.

“Congratulations to all of you for passing the graduation test. From today on you’ll be genin ninjas working for Konohagakure. You’ll be placed in teams of three under the direction of a qualified Jonin. I know this was explained to you before, but I’m gonna say it again. Also your teams were chosen based on skill sets and grades. Even if you don’t like it, that’s just the way it is.

“For team one, Hachijo, Iana and Rei. Team two, Azami, Teijin and Wataru. Team three, Sacho, Claire and Fiero. Team four, Lee, Hyuga and Tenten. Team five, Youri, Haru and Rina. Lastly team six, Sarutobi, Terra and Shitaka. Your respective Jonin have been notified of who they have and will come by to pick you up. That is all.”

Half the class left in the first half hour. Team one three and six remained sitting quietly when the Jonin from earlier came in. Chojan and Shitaka watched her walk in closely.

“Team six?” she said. While Terra automatically stood up, Chojan met Shitaka’s eyes before standing. He felt something bad coming.

 

“Alright, we’ll start with introductions. I’m Tsume Inuzuka and this is Kuromaru.” She directed their gaze to her dark coloured dog. “Name, goals, likes, specialty. Sarutobi, you start.”

“Is this pay back for earlier?”

“I’m just getting started.”

He groaned. This would not go well. “Sarutobi Chojan, I want to become a talented ninja like my grandfather. Though not as much to go for Hokage. I’ve seen the amount of paperwork that entails. I like teriyaki stirfry and learning new tricks. My specialty is using a katana.” He elbowed Shitaka. “You’re next partner.”

“Oh quit it. I’m Shitaka. I don’t really have much of a goal. I-”

Tsume cut in. “Full name please.” Shitaka glared at her.

“Fine. Uchiha Shitaka, but I’m ADOPTED. The only thing I can call a goal is finding out who my father is. I like sparring and I’m sneaky.”

Terra giggled. “Wow being an Uchiha and not even able to claim the bloodline. That stinks. I’m Amane Terra. And my goal is to become an awesome ninja to promote my family’s style. I like fondue, chilling with my friends and I’m really good at dancing.”

“Dancing?” Shitaka sneered. “That isn’t even taught in school. How is that supposed to help you be a ninja?”

“It’s part of my style. A stupid girl like you wouldn’t understand how it helps.”

“Course I wouldn’t understand. Because it doesn’t work.”

“Girls…” they looked at Tsume. “Argue about style some other time. You three have one hour to get anything you would use as a ninja. Meet me at the third training field. And don’t be late.”

 

 

 

He nearly dropped the photograph when the wind banged the door against the wall. Chojan set it down before he really did drop it. They took that photo three months after forming. He remembered how Terra complained that Shitaka saved her on their first serious mission. He had never really seen them get along, always arguing about the little things. Walking over to the mostly empty bookshelf, Chojan pushed aside the dusty technique volumes. Something only he knew, her journal. Nothing too private like a normal diary. She wrote in it from time to time, usually when she learned something new about her missing father or got a present.

The book itself was leather bound and tooled with leaves on the edges. He took the journal and sat on the bed to take a look at it. The clasp came apart smoothly. The first page read like a greeting or disclaimer, warning off unwelcome readers. He turned the pages.

 

August 4th-

This year I turn 10. Its boring spending my birthday all alone except for Sasuke. At least he’s interested in celebrating with me. I think either one of us would have not made it this long without each other. Last year was just plain depressing. I would not have written but for one thing. I got a package. I thought my parents were the ones to give me the bow  four years ago. But now I am not sure. I got a new one. Same sort of packaging and card.

 

I think its my real dad. Why does he not come home?

 

May 25th-

Half a year since I tried to get answers on where the package came from. Either they really do not know. Or its some sort of extra special secret. Not that it makes me feel any better. I tried asking Chojan’s granddad while hanging at his place. He avoided answering me.

 

August 18th-

I’ve gotten used to this new bow finally. Its pull is different from the one I had as a little kid. And I noticed a letter in my mail. No address or signature, but its to me. Very short and business like. Included money. Gotta be my dad. Why doesn’t he come home?

 

The pages after that had some chakra notes scribbled on them haphazardly. The last note page was dated right after the Chunin exam the year they became Genin. Chojan paused to look at the bare workings of a speed enhancing technique. It looked as she’d pulled it off of Terra. Chunnin exams. She’d really changed after that little fiasco.


	3. The First Secret

“Gimme that Taiyaki!” Terra tried to swipe the treat from Shitaka. Shitaka stuck one of the three in her mouth and dodged back from the girl. Chojan watched casually at the side, cleaning his katana. Finding the blade as clean as it was gonna get without his complete kit, he sheathed the blade and walked over to the girls. Coming up behind Shitaka, he snatched the remaining two from her hand and handed one to Terra.

“Be nice, Shitaka. Terra, protect your food better.”

Terra snipped, “She’s the one who just took the whole batch.” Chojan glanced at Shitaka’s mischief filled eyes and shrugged.

“I’m not going to always be the one to solve your little fights. At least try to get along for longer than three minutes.”

“We get along,” Shitaka protested.

“When it doesn’t involve food or the mission.”

She made a pouty face. He pushed it off. Tsume came back at that time.

“Sorry for the wait kids.”

Terra asked, “Did you take care of what you needed to?”

“Yea, everything’s ready. Shitaka, either gulp that down or put it aside. You’ve got work to do.” Shitaka grimaced and wrapped her snack up. “Be careful, protect each other and don’t forget the plan.”

Chojan couldn’t have predicted what was about to happen to them. It was supposed to be a simple mission. A low level C class that they’d been lucky to get. All they had to do was catch a few bandits for the locals. Taunt them a bit: Shitaka could do that with her archery. Make them think they had a chance: Terra and Chojan had that. And lure them into a trap: that’s what Tsume set up for them.

A total of five bandits trapped and they relaxed. Chojan traded a high five with Terra.

“Shitaka,” he called, “Come on down. We’re done.” Chojan waited a few seconds. They could always tell when she moved. Five months training together did that. Silence though came to them. “Shitaka?”

“She never does this. Shall we?” Terra double checked their trap. Chojan nodded in response. A couple kids walking through the trees. They should have expected something to go wrong.

Creating the right atmosphere for the bandits to chase had been easy. She gives them a reason to search. A few arrows that look like close calls. But then that guy had come out of nowhere. Fast. He’d been faster than anyone else she’d fought. Too fast.

Her head hurt. Her back ached from a rock digging into her spine. She sat up. Slowly everything cleared up. Her teammates were in danger. Shitaka stood and ran.

Chojan saw her right after he yelled for Terra to get Tsume. The sword techniques his grandfather taught him helped. Even so, he knew his enemy didn’t take him seriously. Terra ran using her fire walk. She emitted fire chakra from her feet so as to get some extra speed. It also lit the ground aflame. The bandit turned to chase after Terra. Chojan swept in with his katana. He missed by a fraction. Chojan ducked by instinct. He felt the guy’s hand go right past him with a wake.

The speed freaked him out. Heck, it was like fighting with his grandfather. Only deadly. He side stepped. The guy’s knuckles brushed his ribs. Shitaka knocked away the next punch, just barely.

“What are you doing, idiot?” she snapped at him. “He’s too fast for you to handle on your own.”

“Your head…” Chojan stared at the streaks of blood on her face. She ignored him, having to roll away from a kick.

“You’re a tough one,” the bandit said. “I thought you’d kicked the bucket from that fall.” Despite conversing, his speed didn’t drop. Chojan tried a flank attack. He threw Chojan into Shitaka.

“Oof,” she would have fallen if not for the chakra grounding her. “You just got a good hit since my footing sucked. You okay Chojan?”

“Fine. What’s on your mind?”

“Number five or three? I’d rather five.”

“Then five it is. One, Two, Go.” Right as the bandit lunged forward, Chojan and Shitaka split. He gained some distance to create a shadow clone. Dancing back into the game, he took the first move. He ran, katana ready, straight at the bandit with Shitaka in the way. She jumped backward over him. His clone stood ready there. She landed on the katana and flew. Chojan’s clone gave her a boost to the other side of the area.

It felt like forever, fighting the bandit. Chojan realized in only a few seconds how outmatched he was. Even with Shitaka, nothing worked. A fist hit him. He blinked and it was over. In the end, Tsume came and captured the last bandit. Or at least that’s the story Shitaka told him.

Turned out she had a couple broken ribs and a concussion. He had to get stitches on his head and a bruise turned up from the graze on his torso. Laughing about it later, he couldn’t help but notice how out of it Shitaka looked.

She didn’t show up for training the next day.

“Take a break, you two.” Chojan and Terra stepped apart from their sparring. “I’d rather have Shitaka here for this, but oh well.”

“Something going on,” I asked her.

“Chunnin exams are later this week. I recommended you three. It doesn’t matter if you guys lost to that bandit, your teamwork is top notch. You recognize each other’s abilities and utilize them properly. Especially you and Shitaka, Chojan.” Kuromaru sat down at her feet. She scratched his ears. “If you and Shitaka didn’t work so well together, what happened yesterday would not have worked. I might not have made it in time.”

“Don’t say it like that. You’d have made it, I’m sure. I’m just glad I was able to keep him from going after Terra. He did try.”

“There’s that too. Not only do you three rely on each other to guard your backs, but you’re able to return the favor. Terra, you have your unique fighting style and speed. Chojan, you’ve been learning to use that katana very quickly. Shitaka is good at backing either of you.

“The point in saying all of this is that I think you guys are ready to give it a shot. Becoming chunnin isn’t easy though. there will be stronger people. Opponents with styles you’ve never encountered and powers you might fall to. But that’s not important. What’s important is for the three of you to think it over and make your decision if you want to try.”

Terra mused, “I wonder if there’d be any cute guys there?”

“Won’t know unless you go. I want you guys to spend the next two days training individually. Make sure Shitaka gets the message.”

“I’ll tell her. I bet she’ll be the most excited,” Chojan assured her.

“Good, in the meantime… go on a scavenger hunt. Find me thirteen Indigo Bluebottoms.”

“Bluebottoms?” Terra squeaked. “Those are supposed to be hard to find in this area.”

“That’s the point of the exercise. Work together for this, I’ll be waiting here when you’re done.”

 

Chojan came to the Uchiha Clan area of town the next day. He came at the same time that Sasuke headed out.

“Hey, Sasuke. How’s your classes going?”

“Boring as usual. You here to see Shitaka?”

“Yea. She around?”

“She should be. But I don’t recommend talking to her at the moment.”

“Damn. That bad of a mood?”

Sasuke grinned. “Bad enough that she threw a kunai at me when I asked what the problem was. Tell me how it goes later.” He passed Chojan.

“I will.” Every time he came down here, It made him feel sorry for the two Uchihas. The place may be a home to them, but the houses lining the street remained empty. After the rain last night, the usual dust had settled down. Boards closed off any sight of the insides. Fifth house down on the left, someone had put flowers in a vase by the front door. A pair of lilies just starting to wilt struck a chord in the place.

Sasuke and Shitaka shared the house she lived in with her parents. It lay a bit from the main road, nicely placed on the edge of the forest. The Teal green paint had a few chips in it and parts had faded in time. A sign on the front door read, ‘Go away’. It sounded like something they’d come up with. Chojan ignored the sign and opened the door.

“Shitaka?” a breeze blew in through the open Kitchen window.

“Go Away.” Chojan looked in the main room. Shitaka wore a gray shirt two sizes too big and a pair of brown shorts, sprawled across the couch.

“No, I won’t go away. I know it’s hard to lose like we did, but you should really be training.”

“I don’t feel like it at the moment. Look. Nice of you to come down and check on me, but is there a point, Saru?”

“Don’t. Call. Me. A Monkey. Chunin exams are next week. Me and Terra are signing up. What about you.”

“Sure. I bet it’ll be easy.”

“Tsume-sensei says otherwise. We’re genin, Shitaka. Brand-new genin. What makes you think we’ll pass when some have been around longer.”

“Maybe, but aren’t we the strongest team this year? There’s what… Azami’s crappy team and then Lee’s team. I don’t really care about the others.”

“I dunno about that. Azami may not be a fighter and her team may be weak compared to us, but she’s a kick-ass genjutsu user. And Hyuga and I aren’t exactly on different levels. The same can be said for Lee and you.”

Shitaka sat up and  straightened a couple lose bits of hair. “I’ll be fine. Our mission two days ago, spelled that out for me real fast. I’ll worry about winning or losing when it comes down to it.”

“Our mission two days ago… but we got our asses handed to us. On a silver platter.”

“We’re not going to have any opponents that difficult though, are we? Get out already. I’m not dealing with you lecturing me today.”

“Fine, but our next group training is in a couple days. Next time I’ll just tell Kakashi-senpai that you’re skipping out.” He ducked the flying cup and dodged out of her line of sight.


	4. First Attempt

He’d expected it, but for sure, Shitaka didn’t show up for training two days later.  She did show up in time for the Chunin Exams. However, she came dressed in a proper blue and white Uchiha style outfit.

“What’s with the change of outfit, Shitaka?” Terra asked as she approached them.

“I’m representing the Uchihas aren’t I? figured I’d show some clan spirit.”

Chojan dropped off the railing. “You never see the clan that way. What happened to you while skipping out on team training?”

“I did some research, personal training and slept. Nothing spectacular happened, Saru.”

“Quit it with the monkey. Or I just might start calling you a squirrel.”

“Try it and I’ll knock your brains out, Saru.”

“I’d like to see you fight back with a katana through your head, Risu.”

“Would you two Knock It Off!” They looked at Terra. “Hallowbananas, you can fight later. Let’s save the attitude for our competiton.”

In pure arrogance, they entered the waiting room. Facing them, nearly thirty teams trying for the title of Chunin. Chojan eyed the contestants warily.

“If it isn’t the female Uchiha.” Chojan looked over to the silver haired ninja that emerged from the crowd. He wore his long hair tied back in a ponytail and a pair of circular glasses. “I was surprised to see the team wimp over there, but I guess if you’re joining in it’ll be fun.”

Shitaka glowered at him. “I think you’ll be in for a bigger surprise and it won’t be any fun.”

“Chill, chill. I don’t mean no harm. Look why don’t we introduce ourselves. I’m Yakushi Kabuto.”

“Uchiha Shitaka. I am not interested in chatting.”

“Then I’ll give you some friendly advice as your senpai and leave it at that. Don’t look so damned arrogant. You’ll get your butt kicked real fast for that.” Chojan touched her shoulder. The lightning crackling around her hand dispersed. Kabuto smirked and went back into the crowd.

“Hand off, Saru.”

Chojan removed his hand and growled, “Are you going nutty, Risu? This ain’t no place to start a fight.”

“I wasn’t gonna start a fight, just give him a good zap.”

“Is there even a difference?”

“Shitaka!” the door opened behind them. Lee grinned. “Figured I’d see ya here. How’s your taijutsu coming along?”

“I think I could beat you now.”

“I doubt that. We’ll have to see during the exams won’t we?”

“That is a promise.”

“Lee, quit hogging the spotlight.” Neji elbowed the boy. “So what are you weaklings doing here? This isn’t a playground.”

Chojan coughed. “Did you guys hear something? It must be getting pretty windy in here.”

Terra giggled. “Definitely the wind. Someone close the door already.”

Neji grumbled, “Typical Idiots. Let’s go somewhere else.” Tenten closed the door, restraining a laugh. Once the three left, Terra and Chojan traded a high-five.

“Nice one, man. He totally deserved that.”

“Too bad he’s a cool headed prick. I’d have paid to see him blow steam.”

“And who is it that told me not to start a fight?”

“Shut it Risu.”

“Just saying… I’m hungry.”

“Did you not eat breakfast or something?”

“I had an omelet. I’m still hungry.”

“Heck you only get hungry before a fight is it?”

“Ha, I remember you wanted to eat a big bowl of ramen right before we fought that yakuza’s top bodyguard.”

“Now that was a fluke. He wasn’t even worth the ramen I ate.”

“Did your taiyaki make it through its fight?” Terra meant it as a joke, but Shitaka went cold rather than grinning. Chojan stepped between the girls.

“Woah. Okay no one’s meaning to be harsh here. Let’s change the subject okay?” He watched them carefully. Shitaka blew out a long breath.

The change in subject came when the second door opened. A skinny guy with a bandanna on his head came in.

“Hey, you all, line up and get a number. This will determine your seat for the written exam. I will explain the rules in the room.”

The teams slowly filed out of the waiting room. Shitaka said, “Written exam? What the heck is that all about?”

“Something you just might fail at, Risu.”

“And I think there’s something else going on, Saru. Why else would they throw a piece of paper at us?”

“Maybe because they want to see how smart we are.”

“Well, in what scenario is a Monkey smarter than a Squirrel?”

“Says the one that consistently asked for help in school.”

Terra got seated in the row directly behind Chojan. And Shitaka ended up close to the front. Neji sat in the far corner, Lee and Tenten sat on opposite ends of the back row. Kabuto turned to grin at Shitaka from his seat in the front.

 

“You made it out?” Kabuto and the two on his team came over after the test. “I figured one of you would be caught cheating like that thick-browed guy from your year.”

“Don’t look down on us, butt-head,” Shitaka snarled. “Lee may not be good at the cheating, but he’d probably kick your ass in a fight.”

“Hey, Risu.” Chojan cleared his throat as she looked at him. “We’ll just have to show him how good we are in the next round. There’s no point to talking at him.”

“I’d like to see just what the requirements are nowadays that they let noobs in so easily.” Kabuto smirked. “Being the Hokage’s grandson must be nice, huh?”

“Shut it, old man. I’ll show you what an honorary grandson can do soon enough.”

“Old man…” Kabuto’s smirk vanished. Chojan ushered the angry Shitaka away from him as quickly as possible.

“Why can’t I just kick his ass now?”

“Because you’d just get in trouble with the adults. Don’t worry. We’ll show him our teamwork in the second exam. You were listening to the explanation right?”

“Something about being stuck in a forest of doom for five days and we’ve got an hour to get our stuff.”

“You really didn’t… Okay. It’s called the Forest of Death. They use it for the exams all the time. We’re given a scroll to protect while we’re in there. And we have to fight the other teams in order to get a second type of scroll. The Time Limit is five days, but we should head for the tower once we have the two scrolls.”

“That’s so complicated. I like my explanation better.”

“And you are such an idiot. No wonder you managed to pass that exam. You just keep plowing forward even if you trip over a wire trap.”

“I do not. I’d notice the trap and jump over it.”

“As if. Don’t get so jumpy over nothing next time. Just go get your bow and meet us at the forest.”

 

“What’s the casualty count this year?”

“Seven heavily injured. Two with mortal wounds. Twenty with only light injuries. And seven dead.”

“Seven dead. I don’t think we’ve had that bad in three years now.”

“Three years ago was actually worse than this year.”

“It’s not important. We had four of the twelve teams pass, correct?”

“Yes, though Kabuto forfeited like usual and he was joined by two from the mist team. So only nine people will be going to the third exam.”

“A reasonable number. What about that report on what happened?”

“Kuriko handed it to me earlier today. However, for some reason Tsume told me to go away when I requested one. Your grandson is also here. I figure he can explain what happened with… the Uchiha.”

“Her name is Shitaka, Ebisu. Just because you find her distasteful is no reason to speak of her that way.”

“I’m sorry. But all she does is cause trouble.”

“You are right in that respect. She’s infected my grandson in that manner. Even so, while causing trouble I have noticed how quickly Chojan has progressed.”

“If you think so. Shall I let him in?”

There was a break in the conversation as Ebisu opened the door and peeked out. Chojan looked up from the floor to see him.

“You can come in now, Sarutobi-kun.”

Chojan rose to his feet and walked around Ebisu. The door closed behind him, leaving him and his grandfather alone.

“I’m glad you’ve recovered, Chojan. Please have a seat.” Chojan walked over to the chair while the Hokage put away some papers. “How is Terra doing? I heard she got hurt worse than you.”

“Yea. She’s okay. The doctor told her to stay at home and don’t run around.”

“Sounds tough." His grandfather fixed him with a thoughtful stare. “I’m sorry to have to bother you about this but could you tell me what happened in the forest. After all-”

“Tsume-sensei refused to give a report. Yea I heard you guys talking. Thing is, Sensei has been trying to help Shitaka. I should have figured something was wrong last week, but I didn’t. You guys knew didn’t you?”

“Knew what?”

“That she was an authentic Uchiha. She grew up under the impression her adoption was merely good will. And then that happened…”

“Some of us knew. Those of us who knew her father. But not everyone. It was a family decision not to talk about it. Is that connected to what happened?”

“Yea, it is. She started off in a bad mood because we nearly lost to that bandit on our mission. The exams didn’t help with Kabuto taunting us.”

“Then please tell me about the encounter with Kabuto’s team. You were the only one on the team not unconscious as I recall.”

Chojan nodded. “We were given the Heaven scroll. The first team to come after us stopped midway because they also had a heaven scroll. We ran into Kabuto on the third day.”


	5. Fighting Kabuto

The floorboards creaked. Chojan jerked out of his thoughts and lurched to his feet. A cloud of dust accompanied his action.

“Sorry, did I startle you?” the girl that entered the room had fiery red hair. Terra grinned. “You’re getting dull, Saru.”

“What are you doing here, Terra?”

“Seeing what you were up to. I can’t believe you’d come to this old place. It’s falling apart. Ought to be torn down.”

“I’m just doing what I’ve always been doing. Looking for clues.”

She frowned. “That’s stupid. And you know it. Three years of searching without results. The new council is ready to make her death official. There’s nothing here anyway.”

“Did you know how much she studied your style?”

“No. She always called it flashy and pointless.”

Chojan flipped open the journal again. “Terra seems to use blasts of chakra to move quickly. By using lightning element I think I could replicate the effect with greater speeds. Not sure how that will work. I’ll need a lot of practice.

“Noticed a quirk in Terra’s fighting style that could be used against her. Not that she’d appreciate the hint. I think if she tried blind fighting so, she could get over it.

“I copied Terra’s Fire Dragon Dance. My only problem is not having an affinity for fire. But the taijutsu component can be easily modified to suit my own style. I wonder how she’ll react to that?”

“She copied me? That’s just cheating.”

“Shitaka is really amazing I think. There’s an entry in here with the theory behind your Flame Trail. And it’s dated for right after our first Chunin exam. I wasn’t even able to understand theory for another year and yet she managed to figure out how you do it just by watching. That’s why I don’t believe her to be dead. And neither should you. We survived the Chunin exams together. There’s no way something like that would kill that girl.”

“Maybe, but if she’s alive, why isn’t she coming back? Why doesn’t she send word? That was a long time ago, Chojan. You shouldn’t get hung up on one girl so long. Look, I’m going back if this is all you’re up to. Don’t stay out too long.”

He stopped her from leaving. “Terra, I know she told you what happened, Tsume did. Back then. She had a chance to kill Kabuto, but she didn’t. We may not know the why, but as her friends, should we really be fussing over the why? You survived because of her.”

“So, you’ve been thinking about the past? That’s just it, Chojan. I’m thinking about the future. One where I don’t have to rely on an old friend to save me. By the way, I’m leaving Konoha tomorrow.” This time Chojan let her leave.

 

“Are you sure about letting Shitaka trail us so far away?” Terra ran beside Chojan on the forest floor. The sun broke through the canopy nearing its peak. “Even she isn’t perfect. What if she loses us?”

“There’s no point in worrying over that. She’ll keep pace.”

“I know that. Heck, that time we traveled to York, she managed to get completely lost and then we were the ones who had to be rescued by her. she’s freaky.”

“True that.”

“I was worried because Kabuto will be targeting her after yesterday.”

“Worry more about yourself. Trap on the left,” He said. Terra zigzagged to avoid the trap. She glanced back at the pile of moss and clover.

“That was really well hidden.”

“If you were Shitaka, she would have totally missed it.”

“But you’re the one who warned me.”

“If I hadn’t wouldn’t you had noticed in time still?”

Terra quieted for a moment. “I suppose. But aren’t you too degrading of Shitaka sometimes? She’s the best of the three of us.”

“She’s deadly with that bow for sure, but the same could be said for me with my katana. Shitaka doesn’t pay attention to the little details, just to the big picture.”

Terra giggled. “You two certainly match each other well. Without me, you still wouldn’t have a problem in this exam.”

Chojan blushed. “What’s that supposed to mean, we match each other?”

“You have a sharp eye for the details. She can see the whole picture as you put it. she’s a ranged fighter. You’re best in close combat. You two have known each other long enough to work together flawlessly. You know each other so well.”

“I think you’re reading too much into it. We don’t always work well together. You’ve never seen her go ballistic.”

“Her? I guess not. She’s always so cool headed.”

“I saw her get pissed off at someone once. Even though that was two years ago, I don’t want it to happen again.”

“That bad? Ah alright, I won’t ask. But, isn’t it getting a bit quiet?” Chojan made a sudden stop on the trunk of the next tree to listen. Terra stopped a little bit ahead. The wind whistled emptily.

“No noise… looks like we’ve got compani-ack!” the ninja dropped on him from above, latching onto Chojan by the neck. He dropped to grab the next lowest branch. His hand on the hilt but he couldn’t draw. His opponent moved in too fast and knocked Chojan off the branch. His shoulder hit the ground first. He rolled to the side. Three kunai hit the ground where he had landed.

A fourth kunai glanced off Chojan’s katana as he drew. Terra stepped up to him. Back-to-back, they faced Kabuto’s team.

“You alright?” she asked.

“Yea, I can still fight. You?”

“Peachy. I hope Shitaka’s okay. These two were with Kabuto, but I don’t see him.”

“Funny you should mention her,” Kabuto spoke from another place suddenly. He approached them. “I was wondering where she would be hiding, but for some reason she’s nowhere near you two. Did you guys have a fight or something?”

Chojan grimaced. “And here I was hoping you’d found her. then we wouldn’t have to see your stupid nerd face. Say, Terra. What style does that other guy use?”

“Earth jutsu I’d say. He tried hitting me a few times. So ungentlemanly.”

“This dudette likes throwing things at me. Just like a chick. Wanna trade?”

“Sure. I gotta teach her a lesson about manners afterall.”

Chojan suddenly twisted, swinging around his back. Had Terra stayed put, she’d been cut in two. But in the same movement, she back flipped over Chojan so they switched positions. Chojan sharply changed trajectory and cut into the ground.

The fast moving crack formed at the leading edge of a razor ridge created by the move. Enemy A in front of the attack dodged to the side. Then the line of spikes blocked his vision of Chojan’s next step. He did see Chojan running towards him sword grazing the rocks as he ran. Chojan himself actually ran over on the opposite side. What Enemy A saw was his shadow clone. The clone vanished, hit by an earth spike. Chojan judged the vibrations and slashed through the rocks.

He froze when he saw his opponent not there. A tremor warned him of the attack. He jumped to the side, avoiding a direct hit. The slice in his arm cut through nearly to the bone.

“Gyah!” the yell came out before he thought about it. chojan lost grip on his blade to clamp his hand on the gash.

“Playtime ain’t over!” Enemy A came up from behind to his side. Chojan jumped back to avoid the punch. He noticed now the spiked gloves his opponent wore. He ducked to the side as that fist came crashing in again. Then it came from above. Chojan stepped back. Enemy A smashed his fist into the ground. A rumble came up and then he went flying.

Chojan scrambled to his feet, his shoulder hurting worse now. He looked quickly to where he’d dropped his katana. Too far and his enemy in the way. He touched his shuriken pouch tentatively. He didn’t have Shitaka’s aim or speed, but he could still use them.

Ready to fight, an arrow sprouting first in the enemy’s shoulder and then chest surprised him. Chojan stared for awhile at the guy collapsed on the ground in front of him. Then he zoomed in on the black and silver feathering. Chojan dashed out and grabbed his katana.

Back where he’d left Terra, he could see the trails of burnt grass and bark.  And Shitaka facing off against Kabuto point blank. The arrow nocked and ready quivered on the string by her face. Kabuto stood still, eyeing the arrowhead pointed at his throat.

“Shitaka!” Chojan jogged over. Kabuto turned his head only slightly. Shitaka didn’t even look away.

“Take care of Terra. She’s out cold.” Chojan forced himself not to look at the dead ninja. Behind her, she hid Terra, collapsed against the tree roots. Shitaka said to Kabuto, “You gonna do something? Or do I need to give you incentive to Back Off?”

“Okay, chill, girl.” Kabuto slowly started walking backwards. “I’ll give you credit for that bow and arrow deal. Being able to take down my team so easily. But aren’t you overestimating yourself?” he made a vague gesture. She narrowed her eyes. He did the same thing. She glanced back at Chojan, watching them while putting pressure on Terra’s wound. She quickly looked back and cursed. Kabuto vanished into the trees. She released the tension in her bow.

“You can keep her alive, right?” she tossed her medicine pouch at Chojan.

“Yea, but don’t get yourself killed. He’s a lot older than us. And he knows about your bow now.”

“I’ll manage somehow. I don’t plan on playing nice with a guy who waited for me to be gone to attack.”

“He what?”

“He was watching us since last night. Probably looking for a moment to jump us.” Shitaka pulled out one of her contraptions and attached it to the tip of the arrow in her hand. “He watched me for a bit after we split, so I led him on a wild goose chase. Anyway, keep an eye out for flying projectiles, I’ll try and end this quick.” Before he could acknowledge her words, she vanished after Kabuto.

He focused then on the huge gash in Terra’s shoulder. She’d been hit by a few shurikens and kunai as well, but they’d already stopped bleeding. Shitaka’s medicine include a salve that worked fast to stop bleeding.

He’d bandaged up Terra and started on his arm when he heard footsteps in the grass. He turned.

“I’m assuming one of you two champs is the one carrying the scroll?” his eyes widened. Kabuto looked a little worse for wear with several shallow cuts and a couple broken arrows. “I checked the Uchiha and she didn’t have it, so do I need to knock you out too?”

“Did you kill her?” Chojan made a quick knot in the bandages and stood up.

“Nah, I’d rather see how she improves, that one. Are you going to fight me too?”

Chojan tossed the scroll at Kabuto. “I’m not stupid enough to do that at this stage. Where is she?”

“Go over there.” Kabuto pointed behind him. “About a quarter of a mile and she’s by the bushes.” He tucked the scroll away and left.

 

Chojan leaned on his hands, sitting across from his grandfather. “At that point, I pretty much gave up on passing the exam. Both of them had injuries that wouldn’t heal quickly and I definitely couldn’t do it with only one working arm.”

“I am not disappointed, Chojan. Most new genin don’t pass that easily. It usually takes a couple tries.”

“Well, I dunno about Shitaka’s state of mind from now on. Heck I only saw her sharingan eyes for a brief moment, but either way she wasn’t in a good mood.”

“The best solution is to stay by her side isn’t it? keep training and getting stronger. That is the only answer this early, Chojan.”

Chojan sat there quietly. He listened to the sound of the Hokage writing. He thought back over the years of school and training. The small things that he’d noticed about her and her relationship with her family.

He stood up. Hiruzen looked up at the boy. “Yes?”

“I’m worried about her, Grandfather. I think Sasuke certainly holds a grudge towards his older brother, but Shitaka’s different. She’s more annoyed about her heritage becoming a secret. I don’t want to be her enemy. You should talk to her about her family.”

“Do you truly think she’d go rouge?”

“I don’t know really, but I think it is likely if her feelings don’t change. She avoided training with us after all since that one mission.”

“Very well, I will take care in handling her.”

Chojan bowed. “Thank you, Grandfather.” He turned and proceeded out of the room. He didn’t really expect any results from his request. And whether or not his grandfather kept his promise, Shitaka didn’t respond. She showed up to training on a whim. Her willingness to work with Chojan and Terra dwindled away as she put more distance between them. Then she vanished right before the next chunnin exam.


	6. Lead to Glenhill

Chojan sat back on the bed and stared at the journal he held. He’d never actually learned what she did in the six months she’d been gone. Various pages dated in that time frame were filled with theories and notes on what needed fixing in her fighting style.  The whistling of the wind slowly became a howl. One strand came in through the window and stampeded through the room. Chojan raised a hand to block the leaves from hitting his face. The pages of the journal fluttered over in the wind. And then one sheet of paper flew free of the book and tumbled to the wall.

Chojan snapped the journal shut and walked over to the scrap. Turned out to be a photograph of three people. Three men to be exact. He recognized Kakashi right away, though younger, wearing his usual masked getup. With his arm around Kakashi’s shoulders, the man had black hair, black eyes and a dark blue shirt. He reminded Chojan of Shitaka the way he grinned at the camera.

He turned the photograph over. A small inscription was scrawled at the bottom. Ranmaru, Kakashi and Hibaku at Glenhill.

“Ranmaru and Hibaku. I wonder which one is the black haired dude.” He looked at the photo again. The third guy looked younger than the black haired one, but older than Kakashi. Blonde with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, he wore a black and red button up shirt. “I guess it’s time to go dig up more memories.”

 

Konoha hadn’t really changed. The uchiha clan area didn’t look quite so abandoned anymore, but no one lived there except for Sasuke. The rest was still the same. Except that a new bunch of genin were running around free. Chojan headed straight for Kakashi’s home.

Kakashi answered the door only a moment after Chojan knocked. “Chojan. I wasn’t expecting you to come by. Is there a problem?”

Chojan pushed the picture at him. “Yea, Can you explain this?” Kakashi stared at the picture blandly, turned around and waved for Chojan to come in.

“I’m surprised to see this again,” he said and sat down at the table. “Where’d you find it?”

“In Shitaka’s journal. I guess she found it at some point in her search for her father.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Ranmaru took my squad with him on one of his merchant trips when this was taken. I was thirteen at the time.”

“Thirteen?”

“At that time I’d already become a Jounin. And Ranmaru may have not chosen the life of a ninja, but he still could hold his own decently. Anyway, I assume you want information.”

“Yea. It’s another clue to her whereabouts.”

“I see. The two in this picture. Ranmaru is the Uchiha. He has a habit of befriending people he runs into, which is how we got to meet Hibaku. He’s the son of the Merchant Guild head in Glenhill. A good sized city that’s easily accessable. A lot of goods travel through there according to Ranmaru. About now Hibaku actually took over the guild. If you go to Glenhill, look for him in the market place around noon. You’ll find him. He sticks out like a sore thumb in that place.”

“Ranmaru is…”

“Shitaka’s father. Not that he’s terribly good at playing the part. I doubt they would have gotten along.”

“They have the same stupid grin.”

“Yea, she inherited his looks and quirks, but she acts a lot more like her mother. I guess it’s one of those reasons he had for not returning properly.”

“Did he ever return?”

“Twice. When Misato died he came to the grave and then he came back four years later. But he probably couldn’t stand staying. Then he merely kept in contact with me by letters. Though I understand he’s the one who got her interested in archery.”

“Did you ever tell this to Shitaka?”

“She never bothered to ask. There were those two times she went off on her own. Maybe that’s when she started looking.”

Chojan stood up. “Thank you, Kakashi-san. I hope I’ll learn something from this.” Kakashi’s eyes twitched as they do when he smiles. He held the photo out to Chojan.

“I spent so much time with that girl. I hope you find her too.” Chojan took the photo and started to leave. “Oh, I thought I should mention. Ranmaru stopped contacting me four years ago.”

“Interesting,” Chojan muttered. He closed the door behind him. Perhaps he was right in thinking her disappearance had to do with her father. Shitaka had always been close to obsessed with her heritage after all.

“Hey, Dickhead!” the familiar name calling girl finally appeared for the day. “Since when did I say you could just run off on your own?”

“Since when have you been in charge of my life, Azami? Better start getting used to me not being around. I might just stay away to avoid you.”

“Shut it. I thought you said you’d move on and forget about Shitaka. Why the heck do I have to hear from Terra that you were at her old home just now?”

“Because I said that to shut you up. All you do is talk badly of her despite knowing my feelings. What I don’t understand is why I agreed to date you in the first place.”

“Your feelings? Yea, the whole village knows you liked her, but she’s gone now, Chojan. Give it up. You’re looking like a crazed old man the way you can’t move on.”

“She’s not gone. Not until I actually have solid proof. In the meantime, I have another lead to investigate. Why don’t you go date that Kiba? You like dogs right?”

“Jerk. Just because I like dogs doesn’t mean I like him. I only-”

“Azami, you’re not chasing me for the same reason I’m chasing Shitaka. You didn’t show interest in me until we teamed up in the Chunnin exams. You admire me, I’m an idol and something you want to yourself, but you don’t actually love me. Please stop making a fool of yourself.”

“Chojan…”

“That’s all I plan to say. I’m leaving today, so don’t expect me to come by later,” Chojan snapped. She stood there quietly as if expecting him to say something else. He left her with one sour look and walked away down the road.


	7. Uzumaki at Glenhill

Glenhill certainly had an air to it. So many people rushing about their business. He couldn’t imagine that Shitaka would have stayed in this crowded place. They’d gone to a city on a request once and she’d freaked out.

Chojan had to ask for directions twice to find the marketplace. And then it got more crowded. One store had a sale for chocolate and the area outside was blocking up the street. Chojan pushed through and then a kid bumped into him.

“Watch where you’re going!” Chojan whirled to reprimand the kid and noticed the money bag no longer at his side. He moved past the crowd by jumping over them and took off. The thief glanced back and went pale. Chojan grabbed his wrist. “Nice try junior. Bumping into me wasn’t the best idea.”

Up close, the kid’s pale hair actually was a ginger, his build decent if thin. He didn’t look much older than a genin would after a year. The kid glared up at Chojan with somber brown eyes. He tossed up the money bag. Chojan caught it but didn’t let go of the imprisoned wrist.

“Would you let me go? I already gave back the money.”

“Not so fast. See, I’m new here and I’m looking for someone. A kid like you might be able to point me in the right direction.”

“A kid like me? What makes you think I’ll know who you’re looking for?”

“I used to play games at what you’re doing. You get to know who’s who really fast. So, will you help me out?”

“Maybe. Depends on the person.” Chojan let go. He took out the photo.

“Any of these guys look familiar?”

“Yea. The blondie’s real famous these parts. He stays at the guild quarters on Swallow Street. That dark guy came around here while back. Stayed in town for a month, selling his wares. I ran into him a bunch back then. Hasn’t been back though. You won’t find him now.”

“You ever talk to the black haired guy?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“You’re fast on your feet. Anyway, thanks for your help. Here, don’t spend it too fast.” Chojan handed over a couple bills to the kid. He snatched up the paper and ran. Chojan sighed and returned to his search.

Swallow Street ran perpendicular to the main street. Some of the fancier store front lined this street: a tailor, pastry shop, ramen shop and a book store. Smiling to an employee sweeping outside the ramen shop, Chojan then found the place. A simple sign hung over the window, reading “Merchant’s Guild”.

He opened the door to the guild slowly. The inside looked normal for an office setting. A couple guys negotiating a price sat at a table with papers in front of them. Chojan went past them.

“Just tell those tea merchants, I won’t let them do whatever the heck they want in this city. I’m gonna go out for a bit.” Chojan stopped as a yellow-haired man came out of a room in the back. He wore a bright red, yellow and orange kimono and an orange ribbon tied his hair back in a top knot. “Ah, good day to you sir. May we be of service.”

“You’re Hibaku right?”

“Yea that’s me. Though I usually don’t go by my first name. Shall we talk while we walk? I’m getting bored of this old building.”

“Ah,” Chojan started. Hibaku gently lead Chojan outside.

“The sunshine is delightful is it not? I can tell that you’re no ordinary person, so why hunt down a guy like me?”

“I’m looking for a good friend of mine. I found this picture in her belongings.” He showed the photo to Hibaku. Hibaku barely spared a glance at it.

“Mm. I’m Riichirou Hibaku by the way. Inherited my position as guild master from the old man. let’s see. In that portrait I’d have been about twenty years of age. I’d  been in the business for five years then. You’re one of those Konohagakure Ninjutsu users then? I heard there was a big ruckus three year back.”

“Yea, there was a war of sorts. So about…”

“I’ll get to it. I don’t get the chance to talk to you folks much. Hatake was very fun to tease. He’s a bit too serious nowadays. So, done any interesting missions lately?”

“No… I’ve been busy with other things. To the nuisance of the Hokage.”

Hibaku accepted a sample of one stall’s specialty for the day: Tako balls dipped in a syrupy sauce that had a sweet taste. He in turn shared with Chojan. “There’s a pity. I always figured you guys had such interesting lives. Or is it just that you’ve been busy with your search?”

“I’ve been trying to find clues to what she was up to before the accident. This photo is my latest clue.”

“Ah, well. As I said, I was twenty then. I’d met Uchiha Ranmaru once briefly a few years earlier, but this time my father set me to deal with him, so I got to know him fairly well. Course, there was those three kids he brought with him. I was surprised about Hatake. Being a Jounin at that age. Well It would surprise anyone. Ah, this sauce is very interesting. I’ll have to buy some later.”

“Can you tell me about Ranmaru?”

“He had an agreeable nature. Would chat enthusiastically with anyone who caught his eye for hours if possible. He loved his freedom and could be very generous. But he was hard to negotiate against. Ranmaru was a very good merchant. Though, he’s not one of those weak merchants that can’t protect themselves. I remember he had the extra help because he had a different route planned for that year. He has a nasty right fist.”

“Definitely not at all like her,” Chojan muttered.

“Then I have a question. Who is this girl you’re looking for?”

“She’s his daughter. Uchiha Shitaka. Has she come by looking for you before?”

“Hmm. I do recall one particular girl that came asking about him several years back. I don’t remember her name though. She had the same black hair and eyes as him though. Might that be her?”

“Sounds like it’d be her. did she have a scar over her left eye? Is there anything else about her you remember?”

“I dunno. I don’t think she had a scar of the sort. She had a very serious attitude I remember, wouldn’t take any crap. Dark clothes. Oh! She always carried a black bow and a quiver of arrows. That caught my eye because of the silver fletching the arrows had.”

“black and silver. That’s her. If she didn’t have the scar it would be her first time out. Did she just come look and leave?”

“If you find her, what’ll you do? Maybe she left for a good reason.” Chojan reddened slightly. “Oh, I get it. How bout a trade of information. You tell me about her accident as you put it, and I’ll tell you what she did while here.”

“Sorry to disappoint but there’s nothing spiffy about her accident. She fell off a cliff during a fight three years ago and never showed up. We found her bow, but there’s been no word. I’m pretty much the only one still actively searching.”

“I see how that could turn out. Well, Shitaka was it? yes, Shitaka came here at first with no interest in Ranmaru. I believe she was in the middle of training and came by to get water and medicine. She left the city then with her supplies. Came back maybe a month later or so. It was that point that she started asking around and met me. She asked me a bunch of questions about where Ranmaru spent his time and his usual routes. She didn’t really stick around after that. I did hear she’d gotten poisoned later. Someone found her collapsed near the edge of the city and I happen to know the doctor that tried to treat her.”

“I remember that. They sent out a couple of medical ninja in the middle of the night to bring her back to the village. Then what information did you give her?”

“There’s two cities north and west of here that Ranmaru liked as well as Glenhill. Baruname in the country of rice and Talunal at the western border of Konoha. On off years though he took a detour to Yamanara. That’s a small city on the eastern coast that is popular for a particular crab that lives in that area.”

“Country of Rice eh? There’s an uncomfortable name. At least we don’t have to deal with an infestation of snakes anymore.”

“Is that so? Ah well, That’s what I told Shitaka. There’s no point in checking his favorite spots in town. It’s been four years since anyone saw him last after all.”

“You’re the third person to mention that four years thing to me. Did something happen back then?”

Hibaku paused to take a look at a vender’s goods. He returned to the conversation a little distracted. “I must say the quality of fabric is definitely improving. Ah, right. Four years. I’m not certain of the particulars, but word around is that Ranmaru stopped going to several of his routine spots four years back, including us. Used to be he’d stop in every other year. He might have gotten killed. Or he might have found something else to occupy himself. Maybe he met a cute girl. Oh wait he’s married isn’t he?”

“Widower. Shitaka’s mother died in childbirth.”

“Ah, I see. That’s always a sad thing. Is there anything else you need to know?”

“Not in particular. Thanks for that much.”

“If you find either of them let me know okay?”

“Yea.” Chojan shook hands with the merchant. Then Hibaku turned and started chatting with an old stall owner. Chojan headed out of the Market district.

Two blocks later, the little sensation of being followed still persisted. He’d been watched since he’d come out of the Merchant guild with Hibaku. Chojan whirled. His kunai flew back and struck a wall.

“You can come out. I know you’re there.”

It was that brat from before. He pulled the kunai out of the wall and fingered it delicately.

“This is cool. You a fighter or something?”

“Ninja. Why are you following me?”

“Most people don’t give money to a guy that tried to pickpocket them. You interest me. So how do you become a ninja?”

“We start training at a young age. It isn’t a game.”

“I don’t see it as a game. Will you teach me to move as fast as you?” the kid spun the kunai around on his finger. It stayed on for a second then slipped off and flew at Chojan. He caught it and put it away.

“You want my speed? Are you one of those types that does everything for yourself. I don’t want to find out you turned into a bandit or thief if I teach you.”

“I steal now because I don’t have any other choice. I used to work for people in the market. Including your beloved’s father, Ranmaru-sensei.”

“Che- you were eavesdropping? You just work for him? Or did he teach you stuff?”

“I traveled with him for two years the last time he made a round. And yea he taught me how to throw knives and punches and stuff. Nothing fancy. So? Will you teach me?”

“What about family? In fact how old are you?”

“What, are you some shrink now? What does all that have to do with you teaching me?”

Chojan crouched down to stare him in the eye. “I already told you this isn’t a game. You look thirteen or fourteen to me by your height. That’s how old a first level ninja is. Most kids start training in the basics between the age of six and eight. I’m willing to start you off. I’ll be traveling for awhile anyway. But only if your parents consent to this.”

“My parents are dead. My older brother already left to start a new life of his own elsewhere and left me behind. I don’t have any relatives. And I’m twelve years old. Does that satisfy you?” he folded his arms defiantly.

Chojan matched his glare coolly. Letting out a sigh, he straightened up. “Meet me at the eastern gate in fifteen minutes. Pack light. I’ll take care of food and water.”

“Yea!”

“One more thing. What’s your name?”

“Uzumaki Riko.” Riko didn’t wait any longer and ran off. Chojan felt his interest in the boy shoot up to another level.

 

Riko came to the eastern gate at the appointed time. Waiting there, Chojan tossed Riko a canteen full of water. Riko had changed out of his dirtier clothes. He wore a dark blue jacket over a gray sleeveless shirt. Black pants tucked into some well loved  hunting boots.

Having looked him over properly, Chojan nodded in approval. “I see you have some sense in traveling. Come over and greet Kuro. He’s my current companion.”

“Kuro?” Riko followed the gesture. Kuro indicated a canine laying down by the road. “A wolf? You tamed a wolf?” Kuro got up and shook himself off.

Chojan laughed. “Tamed? I dunno what the definition of tamed is with this guy. No, Shitaka took this guy in after he lost his momma and taught him to track and hunt. Kuro, say hi to Riko. And be nice.”

Kuro gave Chojan a look and walked over to Riko to sniff him. He took one sniff and sneezed loudly. Riko jumped back. Kuro shook his head and continued his inspection.

Riko watched the wolf nervously. “Kuro huh? Not very imaginative. Its obvious that his name’s for the color of his coat.”

“Well can’t say much to that. She always had a straight line of thought. Kuro, quit looking for snacks.” He interrupted the wolf sniffing at Riko’s pack. Kuro glared at Chojan and backed off with a second sneeze. “It’s alright. He approves of you.”

“Is that his way of saying I’m okay? Sneezing?”

“Sorta. He’s sensitive to skill level. If you’re all set, we’ll set out.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. So, where are you going to check first?”

“Yamanara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, loved writing this particular chapter, because I love Riku. I hope you guys do too.


	8. Into The Forest

Young Chojan cursed himself for sleeping in as he dashed down the roads. Even though Grandfather had said Shitaka had returned that night, he still ended up sleeping too long. He’d last seen her six months ago. Seemed like forever. He skidded to a stop at the training field.

“Tsume-sensei? Did she?” Tsume looked up and waved him over. Azami sat on one of the boulders, watching whatever was going on below. He glanced to the ground. Terra sat cross-legged with a small gray and black puppy in her lap. Kuromaru sat attentively, eyes on the pup. And then there was Shitaka. She hadn’t changed much. She hugged her legs, also watching Terra play with the puppy.

“Shitaka,” Tsume murmured. Shitaka looked up and then saw Chojan. She jolted to her feet.

“Are you alright? I heard they took you to the hospital last night,” he asked.

“Yea. I’m fine now. Just some bad luck.”

Azami grumbled loudly, “As if. Getting poisoned isn’t considered bad luck. That’s just sloppy work.”

“Azami, there’s no need for that now,” Tsume said. “You probably heard from your grandfather. She’s fine now, Chojan.”

“That’s great. So, what’s with the puppy?” he sat down on the grass.

Terra said, “Shitaka brought him. And he’s a wolf cub according to sensei.”

“Nine months old. I was saying from his size he’d be a great hunter. You wouldn’t be able to work with him the same way I do with Kuromaru, but tracking, hunting, protection. That kind of stuff is still possible. Wolves may not be naturally loyal, but train him right and he’ll stay by your side all the same.”

Shitaka reached out and picked up the little wolf. Chojan barely kept from gaping at the expression on her face. He’d never seen Shitaka ever show such a kind look to anyone.

“Oh, you like the guy?” Terra grinned as Shitaka jerked in surprise. “Knew it. didn’t figure you for a dog lover.”

“He’s the one that kept following me. I just ended up feeding him some food. As Tsume said, I can train him to be a tracker.”

“No need to act all cool. We all saw that smile.” The wolf cub squirmed out of Shitaka’s arms and ran off after a rabbit.

Azami then came down from her boulder. “What’s so great about a wolf? What’s the deal anyway with training now?”

Shitaka clenched her fists in her lap. Tsume whistled sharply. Kuromaru barked twice and bound off to go watch over the youngster. The four of them looked at her.

“I know Azami and Chojan intend to try for Chunnin again this year. What about you Shitaka?”

“ I’m going to kick Kabuto on his ass this year,” Shitaka growled.

“Glad to hear it. we’ve got two weeks till the exams. Terra, since you don’t need to train for the exam this time, do personal training. The rest of you need to learn teamwork. So you’re gonna fight me.”

“No offense, but I’m not so sure that fighting you would work that well anymore.” They looked at Shitaka. Tsume folded her arms.

“And why do you think that?” Shitaka stood up slowly and stretched. Turning, she walked away from them. All eyes on her and when Chojan blinked she’d disappeared.

“I guess, you’d be able to see that, Sensei, but I don’t think my teammates did.” Chojan whirled. Shitaka was standing back-to-back with Tsume. He noticed small bits of burnt grass around Shitaka’s feet. “It’s not perfect. I can’t move as fast as I want to yet, but I’m faster by far than any other Genin.”

“This what you spent six months at? Your speed?”

“Sorta. Not that it matters.”

“I see. Even if you’re faster than them, you can still work on teamwork. Handicap yourself. In fact I had been thinking that today’s training should be strictly taijutsu. No ninjutsu or genjutsu. Shitaka, play at their level for training okay? You might see some results.”

“What?” Azami protested, “That’s no fair making me work in just taijutsu. You already know that I’m the weakest one here.”

“Azami. In the actual exams you can use genjutsu and ninjutsu as much as you want, but I don’t want you falling behind Shitaka and Chojan because you can’t work together. Just the same, Chojan, your handicap is no kenjutsu. I want to see that all three of you can work together on an even playing field. We’ll get into more advanced stuff later in the week.”

“Fine. Have it that way.”

 

“So you guys had really bad team work?” Riko asked while kicking the tree trunk over and over. Chojan sat on a smooth patch of grass nearby, gutting a rabbit. He’d ended up telling Riko about Shitaka.

“Not in particular. Me and Shitaka got along fine and I could cover for Azami. The problem was between the girls. Azami never liked Shitaka even in the academy. And the feelings are mutual even now. Those two never agreed on much of anything.”

“Sounds like a headache. Hah. So how’d the exam go?”

“I’ll tell you that story another day. How many kicks are you at?”

“seventy-six. How many more?”

“Stop at one hundred. Then I want you to play with Kuro.”

“Play with Kuro?”

“Yea. However, you want. Keep him occupied until this rabbit is cooked.”

 Riko looked at the wolf. Kuro looked up at him and grinned. “Can’t I do something else? I dunno if I’d survive playing with Kuro.”

Chojan laughed. “You’ll be fine. Keep up those kicks for now.”

“I’m suing you if he mauls me,” Riko grumbled.

“He won’t maul you. But he will try and steal the rabbit before we eat it if he isn’t distracted.”

The fire crackled slowly as it ate away at the fire wood. Half a day’s walk from Glenhill, Chojan chose a space a little off the road and hidden by the trees. Kuro’s tail twitched in anticipation, eyes on the rabbit meat.

The sun crept to the very edge of the horizon, beyond what they could see. In that time, Riko learned that playing with Kuro meant some weird version of tag where Kuro let the boy get close and then ran out of range, over and over.

Chojan let out a shrill whistle. Kuro halted, ears perked. Riko finally managed to grab the big wolf and got his face licked in return. Riko let go and wiped off the saliva. Kuro dashed over to Chojan, who then handed over a strip of meat.

“Have fun?” Chojan inquired of the boy.

“That wolf is annoying.” Riko took a seat by the fire. “He’s smart for an animal.”

Chojan shrugged. “Might be a side effect of the training. How much do you want?”

“Just chop it in half. I eat a lot.” Chojan handed over the requested amount. “How old is Kuro?”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought of it before. Well, he was about half a year when Shitaka got him. Then three… and four? Yea he’s probably eight by now or close. A very good ninja dog.” He cut off a chunk for himself. “I kinda think he’s a lot like Shitaka. Very mischievous and clever.”

“Ranmaru-sensei was like that. He was clever, very clever.”

“Did he teach you?”

“Nothing fancy. Other than the random tidbits on how to be a good merchant, it was just the basic fist fighting. What did he call it? tai something.”

“Taijutsu. And your form is fairly good. Chakra manipulation would be the next step. Did he go over any of that?”

“I think he mentioned it a couple times, but I didn’t get very far. I remember it has something to do with mixing the energy inside you.” He glanced hopefully at Chojan.

Chojan nodded and swallowed his mouthful. “That’s the basic principle. You combine and balance your physical energy and spiritual energy. I’ll run you through the steps after we eat.”

“Run through the steps?”

“It isn’t complicated, but it is something that you have to practice on your own.” Riko nodded, trying to chew through a mouthful just a little too big. Chojan finished his part and tossed the remaining scraps to a delighted Kuro.

 

Everything moved in slow motion to her. she took the few steps forward. One hand out. He barely weighed anything. Her arm ached. Strange. The pulsating sensation made no difference.

Thud. Crash. The sound ninja slammed first into the ceiling. Then he made a crash landing a yard from where he started.

Shitaka wore a black ensemble. A face mask like what Kakashi always wore, black vest over dark green half sleeved shirt, black pants with the hitaate tied to her leg. She’d grown a little since her last exam a year ago.

Behind her she practically heard Azami roll her eyes. Chojan let out a groan.

“Do you have to be flashy in your entrance, cousin?” Sasuke folded his arms. “You over did it anyway.”

Shitaka glared at him. “Your teammate is worse than me, munchkin.”

“You’re both bad. Can’t you do anything without looking for attention?”

“I don’t think you’re the one to tell me that. Now, I had something to do… oh right.” Shitaka turned to Kabuto. “Been awhile hasn’t it?”

Kabuto grinned at her. “Yes it has. How was your vacation? Relax any?”

“Not particularly. I was quite upset over my defeat. I’d beat your face in right now if the rules allowed it.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better. I heard you were sent to the hospital not too long ago.”

“Minor set back. I wouldn’t let something like that get in the way of pay back.”

“Okay! Okay!” Azami pushed between them. “I dunno what the deal is, but that is enough!”

Kabuto greeted, “Nice to see you too, Azami. Hope you do better this time around.”

“Of course. I plan to. Not that I’ve much hopes for my team this round.”

Shitaka punched Azami lightly in the shoulder. “Excuse me? Just how am I worse than Terra?”

“Your attitude is the problem.”

The doors opened at the other end of the hall. Kabuto drifted off as Ibuki explained the exam. Azami checked the contents of her belt pouch. “You two don’t forget the plan.”

“We’ll be fine, Azami,” Chojan replied as they filed forward.

 

The first exam ended normally, though with more members than usual. Chojan stopped by home for a few supplies. Konohamaru had yet to arrive home for school. Grabbing a biscuit from the bowl on the table, Chojan turned back for the stairs.

His grandfather then came in the door. “Grandpa. Aren’t you supposed to be in working?”

“I took a break to see how you’re doing. It’s your third chunnin exam after all. I hope it isn’t getting to you.”

“I would have made chunnin rank last time. You know that. so this time, I will without a doubt.”

“Yes, I know. Is Shitaka doing well?”

Chojan smirked. “So well, she’s even more aloof and arrogant than before. She nearly said right out that she’d kill Kabuto as pay back. I bet she’ll make chunnin as well this round.”

“I’d rather she didn’t kill him.” Hiruzen waved Chojan on. “Well, I just wanted to wish you luck. I’ll be waiting to see you after the second exam.”

“Sure thing. I won’t let you down.” Chojan ran up the stairs. He heard the door close as his grandfather left.

Azami and Shitaka waited for him by the gate. While Azami hadn’t needed to grab anything special, Shitaka now bore her usual weaponry, especially the black recurve bow.

“Is it me or does that bow look even more worn out?”

“It got a few more scratches, yes.” Shitaka ran a finger down the length. “You got everything?”

“I was going to ask you that. got enough arrows?”

“I’ll be fine. What the heck did you think I was doing for a year?”

Azami quipped, “Sleeping maybe? You skip practices enough. Who are we targeting then? there was one grass team that looked easy pickings.”

Chojan nodded. “True, though the easiest would be Shika Ino Cho. They’re the weakest of this year’s noobs.”

“Ino and I are friends, so no.”

“Kabuto.”

“What?” Chojan and Azami chorused.

“I’m going after kabuto. I already mentioned this.”

“Kabuto isn’t an easy target,” Azami grumbled.

Shitaka retorted, “And he nearly killed me and Terra. You can stay out of it if you want. I’ll take him on alone.”

Chojan touched the back of his neck. “We should act as a team. Kabuto’s the type to stay in the game as long as there’s people to watch. I learned that much. So we’ll go after that grass team first and then Kabuto. Just some insurance.”

“Fine, but I am not covering for any reckless stunts.”

“I think we all feel that way, Azami,” Chojan said. He waved his hand in the air. “Anyway, fussing isn’t going to win any battles at this point. Let’s just do our best and beat the opposition into submission.”

“Since when do you talk like that?” Shitaka inquired.

Azami chimed in. “Yea, since when are you so into beating people up. Last I checked you like to slice them to ribbons.”

“Details ladies. I’ve got a good feeling about this year. Shall we get a move on?”

“I think you should see a doctor first. You’re in an oddly chipper mood.”

Chojan silenced their qualms with his attitude by sticking his tongue out and heading off ahead of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience. If you like this story, feel free to see what other fandoms I write for, or let me know. Also, you can follow me on twitter for updates on all my works @EmeryldL


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